Consecuences for the future #4 (second part)

On a beautiful sunrise, a couple was strolling through their field, enjoying the dawn with the lights reflecting all over the place.

"I told you it wouldn’t be a waste, they are beautiful," the woman said cheerfully, taking the man's arm.

"Haha, yes, you were right," the man expressed happily, hugging the woman.

"I hope we can sell enough to buy everything we need," she mentioned while touching her belly.

"You’ll see that everything will turn out fine," he exclaimed as he continued walking by her side.

"Bill... what is that?!" The woman pointed forward upon seeing a large black beast among the cornfields.

"It can't be..." His eyes instantly filled with terror. "Run!" he shouted, taking Mari's hand. Both ran with all their strength toward the cabin.

"How is that thing here?!" she asked, alarmed, as she ran, looking ahead while holding her husband's hand.

"I don’t know, Mari, just run!"

"You Ystires... will suffer the same pain I endured!" the creature roared with a deep, grave, and sadistic voice as it watched them flee.

"Come on, we’re almost there!" Bill looked back and saw the creature about to catch Mari... Without thinking, he stopped and pushed her away... letting go of her hand.

"Run, Mari! RUN!" he screamed, and then the creature pierced him through the back. Its claws could be seen emerging from his chest.

"Noooo! Bill... Bill," she cried out in terror, tears streaming down her face as she covered her mouth with both hands.

"Go... please..." Bill fell to the ground as the beast withdrew its claws.

With nothing else to do, Mari started running, touching her belly as tears ran down her face.

"You are brave, little Ystir, but she... will die all the same!" the creature said, revealing its appearance. It was two meters tall, had black fur and yellow eyes. It wore a long dark coat that reached the ground and walked barefoot.

Bill, with his last strength, grabbed the werewolf’s coat. "I won’t... let you go."

"What do you think you’re doing? Don’t touch me with your filthy hands, Ystir..." he said coldly, looking at him with contempt before cutting off his arm.

"I'm almost... almost there! Bill..." she thought through tears as she reached the cabin. She quickly locked herself inside and grabbed a machete near the door.

"Hello, I was waiting for you. You humans are so slow," the werewolf mentioned, sitting in a chair while cleaning his blood-stained hand.

Terrified, Mari pointed the machete at the creature, her heavy breathing betraying her exhaustion.

"That thing won’t do anything to me. Hmm... I hear two hearts inside you," he said sadistically with a grin.

Suddenly, a marble shot through the wall and touched Mari, making her disappear. This changed the werewolf’s expression. "You again, what do you think you’re doing? You won’t defeat me, hunter... You will die just like your father!" he shouted furiously, watching all his blind spots.

The entrance door was kicked open by the hunter, who fired a sonic weapon that destroyed much of the cabin and sent the werewolf flying. "I promised I would follow you anywhere to kill you... No matter where you are! I will tear you to pieces, you bastard!"

The hunter wore a white jacket and hat, a mask half black, half white, covering his entire face, black pants and shoes, and had an axe on his back. His weapon, and apparently a great number of objects, were hidden in the pockets of his jacket. The hunter started running toward the werewolf, pulling two spheres from his pockets and throwing them at his opponent, causing massive explosions that distracted the werewolf. Then, taking advantage of the distraction, he got close enough and aimed his weapon at point-blank range. Instantly, the werewolf let out a great howl that clashed with the sonic shot. The impact created a shockwave that pushed them both back and shattered the sonic weapon.

"If you so badly wish to die... I will gladly tear you apart!" he shouted after getting up from the ground.

The werewolf began running towards the hunter. The hunter took his axe from his back, ran, and leaped to strike with all his might, only to... hear the sound of the werewolf’s claws clashing against the axe’s edge.

Then, we see Louis getting up from his bed, doing his exercise routine with push-ups, sit-ups, and handstand push-ups. After that, he takes a bath and prepares for the new day.

"Professor, I’m ready," he said seriously, but with a hint of excitement on his face.

"Haha, I was just about to look for you in your room, let’s go," he mentioned, noticing his slight trace of excitement.

Professor Maxwell and Louis left the house and started walking, while Hanks watched them from the door.

"First, the northern zone, where we are now. Here, all kinds of scientists, some singers, actors, paladins, and important people live. Though there are paladins who live in other parts of the kingdom as well. Also, the palace is here. Now let’s go to the most important routes for me, and besides, I’ll show you how the kingdom works, but first, I want to talk to you about something," he said with a smile as they walked on the sidewalk, with many people passing nearby.

"What is it, professor?" Louis asked curiously after making a slight move to avoid bumping into a child.

The professor stopped for a moment and approached Louis. "You control lava, don’t you? I saw what you did to Kein’s chest armor. I erased the traces with my arm so Mei wouldn’t see them and cause you trouble."

This took Louis by surprise, and a fear ran through his entire body. "I... Yes, professor, I can do it! But I won’t hurt anyone! I have control over my magic!"

"Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. Let Mei find out on her own. Let’s leave that aside, I don’t want to take away the excitement you had," he said, patting his shoulder with a slight smile on his face.

"Alright..." he said, still a bit worried.

"You’ll get over that worry soon enough, but I had to let you know," the professor thought, then continued walking and arrived at: "The southern zone! Here, you’ll find all kinds of forges, as well as other shops like clothing stores and jewelry stores."

"And here is the Glomequería forge," Louis added, fascinated as he watched them create swords, armor, and mechanisms with next-level technology—machines that instantly turned a piece of metal into a nut.

"Of course, the Glomequería forge is the main one for me. It’s where they create all sorts of objects for my machines and technological devices," he said, happy that Louis hadn’t forgotten.

"That’s incredible! How do they do that?" Louis asked excitedly, approaching a stand and about to touch the device.

"Louis, damn it, don’t bother others! Sorry, he’s a foreigner," the professor said, pulling him away from the place.

"No problem," the owner replied, continuing his work.

"Let me explain how they work," he said, placing his mechanical arm around Louis’s neck.

"Okay."

"Perfect... Look, Louis, this device is a specialized cutter for sharpening and refining swords, powered by a modified arcane crystal that regulates it properly. The best part is that it has a system that detects human skin and stops instantly thanks to this amethyst eye," he said, pointing at each component as he explained.

"That’s incredible, professor. Where do they make those modified arcane crystals?" Louis asked, astonished and excited.

"In the eastern zone!... Here, they create all kinds of magical and mechanical artifacts. Plus, the grand bank is here, where all the money is managed properly... or at least it was before. With this new king, everything is wrong, even if people seem calm," he said, slightly annoyed at the end, lowering his voice as they reached the eastern zone.

"In the eastern zone!... Here, they create all kinds of magical and mechanical artifacts. Also, this is where the grand bank is located, where all the money is properly managed... or at least, that’s how it used to be. With this new king, everything is wrong, even though you see many people acting calm," he expressed, slightly annoyed at the end, lowering his voice as they arrived in the eastern zone.

"What’s up with that king? I always hear people complaining about him," Louis asked curiously as he walked.

"He steals most of the kingdom's money, leaving only a small portion of the profits from business with other kingdoms so that people don’t realize we’re not progressing economically. But Mei and I are not fooled," he replied, annoyed, speaking in a low voice as they walked.

"And why don’t you do anything? Miss Mei is a paladin," he said, confused, furrowing his brow.

"Well... the king expelled her and other paladins because they discovered what he was planning. He took advantage of the last project left by the former king, which was about to be launched, to make it seem like it was his, and with that, he won over the entire kingdom... He’s just trash," he responded in a low voice.

"I see. And... why are you speaking in a low voice, professor?" Louis asked, lowering his voice and placing one of his hands beside his mouth.

"The citizens are very bothersome and protective of their king, so we have to avoid saying anything bad about him near them," he replied, leaning closer to Louis to keep others from hearing.

"I understand... It seems like there are problems in every kingdom," Louis mentioned, remembering his own kingdom and taking on a sad expression.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Your kingdom too? Hmm... well, I guess that’s normal. By the way, that blue necklace you have, what is it? I don’t think it’s just an ordinary stone," he asked curiously.

"Should I tell him?..." he thought, recalling the past while looking at his necklace... Then, he took it and pressed it lightly. "It’s a gift from my father and my master. It’s a necklace with sky blue magic. It helps me control my powers and has a spell that prevents me from taking it off," he responded, trying not to show his sadness and hiding his gaze.

"Sky blue magic... how interesting! Someday, I want to meet your father and your master," he said, very interested, dropping the subject.

"If he knew... he’d surely kick me out of the house instantly," Louis thought, keeping his gaze averted.

"Well, now let’s go... to the western zone! Here, you can find all kinds of food: fruits, vegetables, legumes, etc. Plus, there are restaurants and the city's entertainment centers. If you’re going to invite someone, I recommend the Dinat restaurant—they cook wonderfully!" he said, buying two apples and handing one to Louis. "Also! Mei's PT agency is located here, but they are undercover to avoid suspicion," he whispered into Louis's ear.

"Really? Should we say hi!?" Louis said, eager to see her.

"Ehh... better not," he expressed, slightly disgusted, taking a bite of his apple.

"What? Why?" Louis asked, puzzled, taking a bite of his apple as well.

"Mei is very..." Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted.

"Mei is very... what?" Mei repeated in her sweet and soft voice, standing behind them with a communicator in hand. Beside her was a strong and determined-looking girl. Her long hair was dark with red-tipped ends. Her eyes were an intense reddish-blue color, and she was 169 cm tall. She wore a buttoned white shirt, dark bluish pants, a dark modern-style jacket, white shoes with black stripes, and on her chest, she had a circular red gem the size of an apple. "I called you ten times, it’s urgent!" Mei expressed, annoyed.

"I left my communicator, sorry. What’s so urgent?" he asked curiously, scratching his head.

Mei saw Louis, and an idea instantly crossed her mind. "Louis, why don’t you go on a mission outside the city with Kassie? I’ll introduce you... Kassie, this is Louis A. Keeper, paladin of the Alahead kingdom. Louis, this is Kassie Matther, from the Aquamirae kingdom".

"Mei!" Kassie exclaimed, nervous.

"Ah, sorry, I forgot. Forget the last part, Louis. Kassie, go with him to the eastern harvest," she said, then approached the professor. *"Jonathan, I need you to tell me where you get your invisible shields,"* she whispered, looking around to see if anyone was listening.

"Don’t call me Jonathan! And... why do you need an invisible shield?" he expressed, slightly annoyed.

"That idiot! He left the farmers without a shield, plus there’s not a single guard with them. We need to fix this quickly," she expressed angrily, lowering her voice so no one could hear. "Guys, go quickly, they need your help there. Ririam said some creatures are getting in, so be careful".

Louis turned to Kassie and greeted her. "Nice to meet you," he said, inclining his head.

"Thank you, same... I think," she responded, puzzled by Louis’s gesture. "Well, follow me, we need to hurry to the eastern zone," she said, taking Louis’s hand and raising the other to hail a car.

While they were in the car, Kassie curiously asked, "Are those contact lenses?".

"What are those?" Louis asked, confused by the question.

"You don’t know? Wow, your eyes are natural! That’s incredible..." she expressed, surprised, leaning on her elbow while looking out the window.

"Thanks..." Louis said, feeling happy. "Seriously, this kingdom is amazing; it has so many things I don’t know and different people," Louis thought.

Louis and Kassie remained silent until they reached the southern exit.

"This place is amazing!" Louis commented, getting out of the car and seeing some technological devices used by the people.

Kassie paid the driver and then approached Louis, confused by his behavior. "You think so? I see it as normal..." she expressed indifferently while looking at the devices. "Does your kingdom not have technology like this?" she asked as she walked toward the kingdom’s exit.

"Not at all, all of this is new to me," he responded, smiling while following Kassie and observing the objects.

"I see... Sir, can you take us to the eastern agricultural zone, please?" Kassie respectfully asked.

"Of course, hop in! That'll be 150 ystires," the carriage driver responded.

"A cabin for the driver! Incredible... Way better than the ones in my kingdom," Louis mentioned as he observed the carriage, while the driver introduced himself to Kassie as Marti.

"By the way... what brings you to this kingdom, Louis?" she asked inside the carriage as Louis got in.

"My master told me I had to go out and see the world to become a better paladin, but I think I mainly did it to change my life," he responded sincerely, warmth in his voice as the carriage sped away.

"Your voice..." Kassie muttered, surprised, without thinking.

"My voice?" Louis repeated, confused, tilting his head.

"Forget it..." she said, turning her gaze toward the window. "So, you're not looking to advance in the paladin ranking?" she asked while continuing to look outside.

"There’s a ranking? I didn’t know that. Honestly, all I want is to live in peace and not be judged, helping as many people as I can. I don’t care about a ranking at all, though it might be exciting to be on one," he responded sincerely, his voice warm again.

"I see... (That warmth again, like my brother... But how does he generate that feeling of security?)" she thought, once again noticing Louis’s warm voice and feeling safe with him.

Suddenly, the roars of creatures were heard in the distance.

"Those were the roars of Linfari and Quiritánidas," said Louis and Kassie at the same time. Kassie was surprised that Louis knew about these creatures. "Sir, stop, we have to see what's happening," Kassie knocked on the metal window behind her, making the driver stop.

"Oh my God! What are those creatures doing here?" Marti exclaimed, terrified upon seeing them.

Louis and Kassie got out and saw the two creatures fighting in a nearby lagoon.

"I must go and get them out of here. You go to the southern harvest," Kassie said, taking off her shoes and starting to run toward the lagoon.

"Wait! I can help, I'm good at swimming," Louis said, watching her leave.

"I prefer to do this... alone, please," she said, with evident nervousness in her voice and a worried expression, stopping because of Louis' comment.

"Huh? ... Alright, I'll go to the harvest," Louis replied, noticing her reaction and returning to the carriage. "Sir Marti, continue toward the harvest."

"I’ll try to take you, but honestly, I don't want to stay around here too long after seeing those things!" he responded. He started the carriage again; it was moving so fast that it trembled.

"Sir... don't you think... you could go a little... more calmly?!" Louis exclaimed, hitting against the carriage walls due to the speed and the sharp turns.

"It can't be, GIANT EAGLES!" Marti shouted as he turned so sharply that the carriage ended up overturning.

"Sir, are you okay?" Louis asked, concerned as he got out of the carriage.

"Yes, luckily, I bought insurance," Marti replied, peeking out from the cabin door.

"Get out quickly! I need to get you to a safe place," Louis said, pulling him out of the carriage effortlessly.

"But... my horses!" Marti exclaimed as he ran alongside Louis.

"They'll be fine! Eagles don’t hunt them because they’re too tough and heavy," Louis replied while heading toward a cabin.

"I think you'll be safe here... Get inside, I'll come back for you later," Louis said, scanning the area before turning back.

"Wait, you're leaving me alone?!" Marti exclaimed in fear, grabbing Louis' coat.

"Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me! I have to see if anyone else needs my help!" Louis shouted, struggling with Marti.

"I won't let you go! What if there's a monster nearby? You have a recognition badge and a katana, you must be really strong, so protect... me...!" Marti screamed, still clinging to the coat.

"Don't be selfish...!" Louis pulled harder, but a loud sonic explosion halted their argument.

"I told you, there are monsters nearby," Marti said fearfully, hiding behind Louis.

"That was sonic magic..." Louis said, circling the cabin to see where the explosion had come from. "The cabin is destroyed," he thought, then heard something moving in the bushes. He took his stance, ready to draw his katana, while Marti stood behind him.

"Finally, people! Please, help me! My husband is injured," a woman cried out, running toward Louis with tears on her face.

Venturing into the harvest, Louis followed Mari to where her husband was. Nervous upon seeing the gaping wound in the man’s stomach, Louis tried to feel his pulse, but it was already too late to help him.

"No, please! Do something..." she knelt beside her husband and noticed the badge on Louis' waist. "You're a paladin, you must have magic to help him, please," she pleaded, sobbing in despair.

"I'm sorry... but my magic can't help anyone," Louis replied, feeling guilt and resignation. "Damn it, if only I had arrived earlier," he thought, punching the ground.

"How is this possible?... What happened? The shields were supposed to protect us, and there were knights guarding the area," she said while embracing her husband, her tears continuing to fall.

"What caused this?!" Louis demanded with seriousness in his voice.

"A werewolf... He entered our harvest at dawn and... We tried to run, but my husband sacrificed himself to save me... to save us. Then, someone else helped me, but I think he's still fighting it," she responded while touching her husband’s face and her belly.

"A werewolf..." Louis thought, surprised. Behind him, a giant, muscular figure was rising from the harvest.

"Watch out!" Marti shouted, his eyes widening at the sight.

Louis turned, but in an instant, he was struck in the face, sent flying, and crashing into the ground and the harvest.

"I found you... Hahaha, I knew you wouldn’t leave for that man, and now we have more prey. Now, everyone will suffer my wrath, EVERYONE!" the werewolf declared sadistically as Mari clutched her husband and Marti fell to the ground in fear.

With a powerful leap, Louis struck the werewolf with his katana, but the beast blocked the attack with its claws. They then exchanged fierce blows, clashing claws against the blade. The werewolf launched a stronger attack, but Louis deflected it with his katana.

"Take this, you bastard!" Louis punched the werewolf in the face, sending it flying through the harvest and crashing into the ground, leaving a massive trail behind.

Louis began conjuring two lava hounds. Straining himself, he shaped their legs entirely from rock to prevent them from burning the ground and covered their bodies in a layer of stone. As he did this, his red eye began to glow. Mari and Marti watched in awe at the magic he wielded.

"You need to get as far away as possible. They will protect you. I put this rock over their skin, but still, try not to touch them," Louis instructed before following the werewolf’s trail.

"A child... A child did this to me?!" the werewolf roared in fury, pressing his fists against the ground in rage. "Damn you!"

"Surrender and face judgment for your crimes!" Louis demanded as he approached.

"What are you saying? It's either you die here... or I do!" the werewolf shouted, lunging at Louis with his claws, slashing at the harvest instead of him.

"I need to lure him away as far as possible," Louis thought, dodging swiftly and leading the fight into the forest.

"What’s wrong? Now you're running? Hahaha," the werewolf taunted, continuing his ferocious attacks, leaving deep claw marks on the trees. Splinters flew everywhere, and one cut Louis' cheek.

Louis studied his movements, dodging easily and ignoring the small wound, which began healing instantly.

"You... have magic, damn mages!" the werewolf yelled in rage, attacking again. Louis evaded, and a tree collapsed as its trunk was shredded by the werewolf's claws.

Louis heated his katana to a glowing red and severed the werewolf’s claws before delivering a punch to its jaw, sending it crashing into a tree.

"Damn it, I should have gone back to create the artifact... I won’t die to a mage, let alone a child," the werewolf thought, standing as the tree behind him fell. His claws grew longer and turned black.

Both locked eyes for a moment until... they clashed, sword against claw!

"They’ve become tougher... The books I read never mentioned this," Louis thought, continuing his attacks and blocking the werewolf’s strikes.

The werewolf managed to push Louis back, leading him near a cliff. Louis realized this and flicked small drops of lava onto the werewolf’s chest, making him cry out in pain. Then, he slashed his chest again.

"Damn you!" the werewolf roared, clenching his teeth so hard that blood dripped from his gums as he lunged to grab Louis with both arms.

Louis leaped over him, coated his fist in lava, and struck his back, making the beast collapse in agony.

"That should be all," Louis mentioned as he made the lava lose its temperature.

"Lava... That's not fair..." he thought, enduring the pain and breathing heavily. "I won’t lose to magic!" he shouted, using all his strength with his arm to attack.

Louis blocked the attack, but he managed to cut off his left arm, forcing Louis to take a step back.

"Hahaha, I did it, now I just have to..." he thought, laughing as he watched Louis wounded.

The werewolf blinked, and Louis had already leaped in front of him. He grabbed the werewolf’s head and smashed it against the ground, breaking his nose. Then, Louis lifted his head and let go, making him fall onto his back. Exhausted and drained, the werewolf did not get up again.

"I can survive these wounds, but this boy won’t let me go. My death means nothing; they’re almost ready anyway... Heh, 240 years will be worth it if those bastards die," he thought, breathing heavily.

He tried to step back a little, but he felt he was at the edge of the cliff.

"Sigh... Just kill me, I don’t want to keep looking at you..." he said after seeing Louis’s face, which reflected pity, while his left arm was healing.

"No..." Louis replied, sheathing his katana.

The werewolf was willing to do anything, but... as he tried to continue the battle, he slipped.

Louis managed to grab his hand and tried to pull him up, but...

"Hehehehe, death to the mages!" he said sadistically and, with his claws, scratched Louis’s hand, making him let go.

At this action, Louis watched with pity as the werewolf fell. Then, he turned around, closing his eyes.

As he walked, Louis saw the hunter’s corpse in the distance. He approached and tried to carry it, but he couldn’t. A fear inside him filled his mind; his hands trembled uncontrollably.

"I need Kassie’s help," he said sadly and continued on his way.

Louis reached Martí and Mari, called the dogs to come closer, and absorbed them with his hands.

"Are you okay?" Martí asked after seeing Louis’s arm.

"Yeah, he only managed to cut my coat and glove. Can you come with me? I need help carrying the bodies; we’ll use your horses," Louis replied seriously.

"Of course... Let’s go," Martí answered, following Louis.

Louis and Martí took the horses to transport the corpses, covering them with blankets that Mari had in the cabin.

"It looks like the eagles are gone. Let’s go," Louis commented after looking at the sky as they left the southern harvest field.

"Louis! Over here!" Kassie shouted from afar as she ran toward him.

"Kassie..." Louis thought as he saw her. "Were you able to drive away the creatures?" he asked when Kassie finally reached him.

"Yes, it was a bit difficult, but yes," she replied, slightly out of breath. "What... happened?" she asked, her gaze lost as she saw the corpses on the horses.

"I’ll tell you on the way," he replied, sadness and guilt reflected on his face.

Louis, Kassie, Martí, and Mari managed to return to the kingdom, and as they arrived, they saw knights heading toward the southern harvest field. Mari could no longer walk due to her pregnancy, and Kassie took her by car to the PT agency. Louis and Martí arrived much later, delivering the bodies to Mei.

Mei and the professor were talking in Mei’s office.

"This is horrible... What was that priest thinking, putting that trash on the throne?" Mei said, both angry and sad, sitting in her chair, pressing both hands together.

"Now we have even more crucial witnesses to remove him from power," Professor Maxwell said, sitting on a couch in Mei’s office.

"Even so, it’s not fair... for anyone. It wasn’t just in the south; four people also died in the east, and three in the west," she replied, lowering her head in frustration.

"You can’t do everything, Mei... You’re in a very difficult position, but we have to remove that man as soon as possible. After what happened today, people will start losing the trust they had in him," Maxwell added, standing up from the chair and looking out the window.

"And Louis?" she asked, lifting her head again.

"The poor guy felt guilty for not saving those two people, but the pregnant woman, Mari, managed to calm him down," the professor responded while continuing to look out the window.

"Poor thing... I had never failed so much before... Everything always turned out perfectly for me, but since the king died... everything has fallen apart," she said, staring at the floor.

"Well, let’s hope everything goes well now, because if not, you might have to cut ties with the church as a last resort. Well, I’ll be off, Mei, I need to talk to Louis," the professor said, opening the office door.

"Of course, I’ll go see Xitlari to check if the shields have already been placed." Mei got up from her chair and left with the professor.

Louis was outside, on the roof of the agency.

"Louis... Are you okay?" Kassie asked, walking across the roof of the agency with some difficulty.

"Yes, I am, but... I also feel afraid," Louis responded, somewhat calm but expressionless.

"Well, it doesn’t seem like it... You remind me of my brother. He was just like you; he cared a lot about doing everything right, and if something went wrong, he felt guilty, even if it wasn’t his fault. He acted strong all the time," she said with melancholy, sitting beside him.

"Did he die?" he asked, but Kassie didn’t respond. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that...".

"It’s okay... I think you’re very sensitive. You remind me of Xitlari; she’s also very sensitive, like you. Well, I hope we can go on a mission together someday," she said, smiling, standing up, and climbing down from the roof.

"Likewise," Louis replied, calmer, with a slight smile on his face as he watched her leave.

"Like me? I wonder who... that girl named Xitlari is," he said as he removed his gloves and looked at his hands. "Is that why you wanted me to leave... master? To learn that I won’t always be able to help everyone? Should I have killed the werewolf? But... I never could have. I... must never kill anyone... ever again".

End of chapter.